Truss-beam



Patented Mar. 7, |899.

No. 620,56l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM P. BETTENDORF, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

TRUSS-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,561, dated March '7, 129,99llvv Appnctaon ne@ December 2,1896. sentira. 614,160. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM P. BETTEN- DORF, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Truss-Beams, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reierence marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple truss-beam for architectural, engineering, or other structural purposes. This I accomplish by the use of commercial forms of metal beams, which areV so manipulated that a strong and durable truss-beam is made of one homogeneous piece of metal, substantially as hereinafter fully described and as illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure l is a side View of an I-beam blank from which my improved truss is made. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side View of one form of my improved truss-beam. Fig. 4 is an end view of the same. Fig. 5 is a side view of an I-beam broken in half and one half showing a blank and the other half a modified form of truss-beam made therefrom. Fig. 6 is an end view of the said modiiied form of truss-beam, and Figs. 7 and 8 show end views of other modifications of my invention.

In the drawings, A shows the blank from which myimproved truss-beam is constructed and which consists of a section ofV I-beam of wrought-iron or steel or other suitable metal having its ends bifurcated, so as to leave arms a a. These arms are made by cutting from the web at each end of the beam a gored or V-shaped piece of metal, so as to leave incisions the inner angles or termini of which come midway between the iianges near the center of length of the beam, so as to leavea central neutral zone-b. The inner edges of the arms a may be straight from the crotch of the same to their ends. I prefer, however, to have the shape of the piece of metal cut from the web of the beam such that the edges of the end portions c of the arms will be parallel with the iianges thereof.

In completing my invention I press the two arms a at each-end of the blank equally toward each other until the edges, particularly of their end portions, inset, and then weld' If desired, instead of bending both arms of the blank equally toward each other I can keep one bifurcation stationary and bend the other until its edge meets the edge of said stationary arm and thereupon weld or otherwise secure them together to produce the truss-beam D. (Shown in Figs. l and 5.)

In Figs. 7 and S I show end Views of truss E, made from channel-beams. I could make a truss of channel-beams in the same manner as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the first six figures of the drawings. I prefer, however, to make said trusses by stamping or otherwise making -a longitudinal fold e in the web of the beam, the depth of which will be graduated from the point of commencement near the center of length or neutral zone of the beam to its end, as shown in Fig. .7, and then pressing the flanges of the end portions of the beam together to compress said fold e into the shape shown in Fig. S.

l. A blank fora truss-beam consisting of a section of Webbed metal of suitable length having a portion of its web at each end so displaced as to leave parts of said web on either side of said displaced portion.

2. A blank for a truss-beam consisting of a section of webbed metal of suitable length having a portion of its web at each end so displaced as to leave parts of said web on either side of said displaced portions in their original plane.

3. A blank for a truss-beam consisting of a section of webbed plate of suitable length having a portion of its web at each end out awayand having the remaining parts of said web on each side of said cut=away portion in their original planes.

4. A beam having portions of its Web at each end displaced and the sides of the beam conterminous with said displaced portions secured together.

Ico

5. A beam having portions of its web at each end cut away and the sides of the beam conter-minous with said removed portions bent toward each other until the adjacent tion of its web near each end displaced from edges of the remaining parts of the web on its normal plane, and its longitudinal edges either side of said cut-away portions meet bent toward each other, whereby its end porand are secured together. tions are reduced and gradually lessened in 6. A beam having isosceles angular pieces height as its extremities are approached. cut out of the ends of the web thereof, and- 1. the sides of the beameonterminous with said WILLIAM P BETTENDORF' eut-away portions bent. toward and secured Witnesses:

MICHAEL D. CoFFEEN,

to each other.

7. A section of Webbed metal having a por- FRANK D. THOMASON. 

